How healthy is this really for literature? It's become utterly mad. okay they might be fun books (i haven't cared to read them, personally), but as they do with music and film, the media have raised whats essentially just a kids book up to such a pedestal that it's breaking records everywhere and being constantly rated as the pinnacle of literature. I think all 4 harry potter books were recently voted in the BBC's top 100 books of all time (correct me if im wrong), which is just pretty terrifying. mind you, so is the idea of a top 100 list.

I find the books delightful, and quite a departure from LOTR, the Lion, Witch and Wardrobe, and the many others. All too often fantasy novels are a quest, which was done first by Le Morte D'Arthur and more recently by LOTR -- since then it looks like lesser writers copying Tolkien (Robert Heinlein's "Glory Road," is still pretty damned good).

The Harry Potter books aren't a quest, and I like the development of plot and characters, Rowling's use of language and folklore, and her unique approach to fantasy.

Maire, I'm with you........it won't ruin the story for me if I know who dies, I just want to know. I haven't bought any of them yet, waiting for a Matched Set. I'm on the Waiting List at the local library.....somebody PM me about who dies, please!

I have found it very hard NOT to buy it this weekend. It is everywhere. I can't even start reading it, as a) I am halfway through two other books, b) Have a backlog of New Scientist and c) most importantly, got to finish 31 reports by tomorrow. However, everytime I passed a stack (Waitrose is cheapest) I felt that I simply HAD to have one. It has taken quite a lot of effort to get my natural reaction to someone trying to force me into something to kick in. And even then, it doesn't feel quite as offended as usual. Weird, or what. And I did have a quick flick through, and reckon I know (unless there are a lot of red herrings) and it is one of the characters I reckoned wouldn't make it through to vol 7.

i finished mine last night at about 2437.....sigh...have not had my nose stuck in a book like that in ages...nonstop reading....sadly will now have to wait for the sixth installment...i hope it won't be another 3 years...

Cynical Leo Condie (who hasn't read any of the books) says: the media have raised whats essentially just a kids book up to such a pedestal that it's breaking records everywhere

The first Harry Potter book broke records all on its own, its fame spreading by word of mouth amongst young people. This is WHY 'the media' got hold of it!

Admittedly, the hype has got annoying recently- I preferred it when it was a 'word of mouth' sensation- my children and I have loved the books ever since the first one came out.

My children are taking turns with it at the moment, and I expect to have my 4 copies from Amazon waiting when I get into work at the school library tomorrow. Hope the first reservers are quick to read it- there's a lot more waiting!

Perhaps I'll get the chance to raed a little before they come to pick up their reserved copies? Not much chance :0)

The media are all running stories about how "harrymania" has died out -- they seem intent on playing it down. It's the fans that drive the interest in the books. The media are merely reporting what sells. Right now, Harry really sells.

Finished last night. Fabulous book. Best of the 5 so far. The character development is very good, she has grown leaps and bounds as a descriptive writer (not as good as Tolkien, but who is?), and the plot twists are delicious.

The death of the Important Person (whom I won't divulge) was sad, but hey, death is sad.

Both our copies have now been read (The third has gone away to son #2's house!) I was going to wait until I was on hols next week but I think I will start tomorrow:-)

I do know who died. No, it won't spoil it. Try reading David Gemmil for hero deaths - There must be at least 2 in all his works!

And who mentioned C S Lewis in the same breath? OK he may be a great writer of other works but having just finished the whole Narnia series again I can honestly say that the Famous Five meet Mrs Tiggywinkle in trying to preach a load of Christian fundemental clap trap doesn't hold quite the same appeal as Harry Potter;-)

The book may or may not be a litary masterpiece depending on your train of thought. But dont forget one thing, this/these book's are alowing children to dicover books, adults to read the same book and disscuss it with the kids. Which in turn will allow them to suggest that their childhood favourite was a good book and they should read it. Slight thread creep I know but detracters are about.

I wouldn't want to comment on whether it is a masterpiece or not: that's for time to decide, to be honest. But I think it is the best of the series so far. Despite being bigger it is less rambling than the last book and it is interesting to see that the characters of Harry & friends are much less pleasant than in earlier books - constant bickering and loss of temper: just like teenagers, in fact. It lacks the originality of the first book, but that is inevitable since the wizarding world is now constrained to be like the earlier books, whereas the first book was 'all new'.

I bought it this weekend on our weekend away in St Davids (fab place! mystical place and gorgeous)... Bought it in a tiny book shop in the town, and it remained on the back parcel shelf of my car all weekend whilst we camped.

Then when we got home, there were delegations and a compromise was reached - (that I'm reading a good book at the mo, and him in doors isn't at the mo) and so im in doors has it first....he's been chuckling away whilst reading it ever since....

our house is very quiet at the moment... me racing through my other good book and him languishing through Harry Potter!

Ella........ please don't tell any.... I'm gonna have to stick my fingers in my ears - I want it all to be a surprise!

I have read the 1st 4 books &, undoubtedly, will sometime read this one, too. I am very upset, though, at the publishing decision to cheat the public by charging hardcover prices for books that are no better bound than paperbacks & only last through a couple of readings before the glue spine cracks & the book starts to self-destruct.

Although the books are somewhat interesting, I don't find them exceptional in the fantasy genre. If you want to read an interesting, well-written fantasy series, try the Earthsea books by Ursula LeGuin. There are 5 now, starting w/ Wizard of Earthsea. As it happens, there's a school of wizardry in those books as well & it predates Hogwarts.

I've read the earlier books but I waited until the paperback version came out - as I will with this one. They were OK but not a patch on Pratchett at his best. However we must applaud any author who can encourage kids to read - and fight their parents for the first read of a new book! If the hype spreads out a bit, who knows, reading might even become cool again - like it was for us 50 somethings who found the magic before TV got into its stride.

I just saw the movie "The Sorcerer's Stone" for the first time. I had read the book and was not impressed although I could understand how children would identify. The movie was a delight. Had me dreaming of flying around on a broomstick. Of course, my brothers have claimed for years that the broom is my primary means of transportation.

Ah, for the UK market it was released under the title HP & the Philosophers stone - maybe it was considered that most Murkans wouldn't understand what a philosopher did. It was too familiar as the book here to get away with changing it.

I think something must have gonme wrong there...Or there's rather an excessive mark-up on Duck country.

Cover price here is £16.99, with the actual price in Tescos down to £9.97. Which is moe or less a paperback price, for a book with 766 pages. Seems fairly solidly bound.

Just finished it - I agree about it being a lot better written in various ways than the previous ones. Not in the same league as Ursula Leguin, or Tolkien, or Philip Pullman, but very pleasing most of the time.

I was glad to see JK Rowling having a go at the educational inspectorate who are infesting the system right now.

I'm trying to ration "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", to make it last. One of my hopes for the future is that the kids are mad for Harry. They're good books. I swear I know the original for Dudley Dursley. I used to babysit for him. His parents didn't have enough money to spoil him as badly as Dudley. But, otherwise, he was the same kid. Now, I'm wondering when J.K. Rowling went to Ohio University and met Dru Evarts. Dolores Umbrage is just like her. I think that's the secret of Harry's success. J.K. Rowling's characters are so deliciously real. Even in her fantastic wizarding world. Reading the new book has been like seeing an old friend after a long abence. Thank you J.K. Rowling!

Well, I was going to wait for my daughter to buy the paperback, then cadge it off her. But we were in Maidstone on Saturday, went into the HMV shop, and ... well, one thing led to another, and we came out with two copies (she didn't want to wait for me to read it). I finished it on Monday night; would have been sooner, but we had to go to my best friends' daughter's wedding on Sunday.

I think the books are pretty good; not high literature, perhaps, but a jolly good yarn, and what more could one could ask? (And a bit easier than Dickens, Liz!) The charcters are developing like real children as they get older. Harry is a typical fifteen-year-old (except there's no w*nking, which is a bit inaccurate if memory serves), not quite a Kevin, but pretty close at times.

Interesting prediction from the divination mistress: bet it comes true!

Since Harry Enfield is probably not universally familiar to Mudcatters, here is a page which explains what that "Kevin" crack by Steve was about. Very droll - but I sometimes wish Harry Enfield had called him Steve, or Fred or...

Thanks, McGrath, that's fun. I vividly remember (one of the few memories I still have from that long ago) huddling on my bed the night before my birthday, wailing to myself I don't want to be a teenager!